High School Volunteer Abroad

Global Volunteers excels in high-school service-learning opportunities. This is because the long-term community development projects students work on are directed by local leaders, managed by development experts, and completed by working hand-in-hand with local children and adults. Over three decades, we’ve engaged thousands of students in projects to help children on six continents reach their highest potential. Read more below to find out more!

Searching for summer, spring or holiday break service-learning programs that deliver on excellence, engagement, and education? Look no further than Global Volunteers’ life-changing, world-changing high school volunteer abroad program. 

As Global Volunteers, students obtain “hands-on” educational, cultural, and occupational experience unavailable through a traditional cultural or study tour. Students who cite their service with Global Volunteers – “Granddaddy of the volunteer vacation movement“ – on a college application or resume are recognized as driven, culturally aware leaders.

Much can be learned from Arizona’s Fountain Hills High School volunteer abroad experience. In the past few years, nearly 60 Fountain Hills students served with Global Volunteers in St. Lucia and Costa Rica. While others chose the beach or pool for their spring break,  the Fountain Hills students transformed their good intentions, curiosity, and adventurous spirit into genuine and useful assistance.

In addition to volunteering, the Fountain Hills students also experienced the cultural and natural attractions of the host country – visits to coffee farms, wildlife walking tours, exploring the local beaches, plus more. We have you covered if you’re searching for a meaningful, educational, and fun service-learning program!

What type of high school volunteer abroad projects are available?

The type of volunteer work students can do depends on (1) what our host communities have requested from us AND (2) the preferences of your group. Global Volunteers’ unique vision and philosophy of service require volunteers to work at the invitation and under the direction of local community partners – and one-on-one with local people. While remaining faithful to this philosophy of service, we will also do our best to tailor to your preferences.

In many cases, the students in your group may have a mixed skill set. This is wonderful! We allow our volunteer groups to work on a variety of projects – some students can teach conversational English at the local secondary school while the other students head off to a construction project on a local building.

Where can high school volunteer groups serve?

While we can accommodate a high school volunteer abroad group on almost any of our 17 service programs, some of favorites include: Cuba, Ecuador, Peru, St. Lucia, Tanzania, and any of the four United States programs. Just let us know where, and we will do our best to help you make it happen!

The length of your stay can be between 1 and 4 weeks, with free time in the evenings and on the weekends. That’s when you will be able to add cultural activities and excursions!

What about funding? How can my school afford this?

The lessons learned and the skills gained through participating on a Global Volunteers service-learning program are unique – they’re hands-on and cannot be replicated in a classroom. Many states value these opportunities for their students, and do their best to ensure they’re affordable for all. Global Volunteers’ programs meet the requirements for service-learning credit programs.

The State of Arizona’s Department of Revenue provides a full credit to tax-payers who make a contribution to a public school for support of these types of extracurricular activities or character education programs. Because our service-learning fees qualify as an approved educational program, this credit covers the cost of students’ participation! Click here for details about “Credit for Contributions Made or Fees Paid to a Public School.”

We also have a fundraising platform where students can customize their own page with photos and insights about why they are serving, where, and when. They then can direct donors to their page to make the donation from there. We offer ideas for fundraising in other ways as well.

Why choose Global Volunteers? We’re serious about service.

Global Volunteers pioneered short-term international volunteer programs in 1984 – mobilizing volunteers on sustainable community development projects around the world. To date, we have engaged over 36, 000 volunteers in 34 countries. Our educational partners choose us because:

1. We adhere to a strict “Safety trumps everything policy.”
2. Our international development focus ensures the integrity of our work.
3. We commit to lasting partnerships with local communities.
4. We help students achieve their learning objectives through authentic community experiences.
5. Our volunteer satisfaction rating exceeds 95%.

THE NEXT STEP!

We’re ready to assist you with project descriptions, travel questions, registration and program selection guidance, fundraising and group discount information, references, and other details that help with the decision-making process. School group volunteering with us makes sense, financially, academically, and culturally. Let the service-learning adventure begin!

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Get inspired with this volunteer-created video from our Cuba service-learning program, visit our Student Volunteering website page, and then chat online with our Partnership Director about our high school volunteer abroad opportunities.